First info meeting on spaceport will be in Volusia

Friday

Dec 27, 2013 at 10:30 PM

Space Florida hopes to develop a commercial launch complex on 200 acres at Shiloh near the county line between Volusia and Brevard.

A comment period opened this week on a proposed commercial spaceport in southern Volusia County when the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will conduct two local meetings in February. Space Florida, the state’s aerospace development agency, hopes to develop a commercial launch complex on 200 acres at Shiloh near the county line between Volusia and Brevard counties. The meetings and comment period are the first steps in what is expected to be a 12-18 month federal process for reviewing potential impacts of the spaceport on environmental and historic resources at the proposed site, owned by NASA but managed as part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The first meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11 at the New Smyrna Beach High School gymnasium. The second will take place the next night at Eastern Florida State College in Titusville.The meetings allow the public to offer comments, concerns, opinions and suggested alternatives, said Dale Ketcham, chief of strategic alliances for Space Florida.Volusia County Councilwoman Deb Denys said she is delighted the first meeting will take place in Volusia because it will “spotlight” the county’s efforts to expand its aerospace industry.“I’m sure people will speak pro and con,” Denys said, “but it (the meeting) won’t be run on emotion, it will be run on facts.” The meetings are likely to draw large crowds. Local business organizations, such as the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, have thrown their support behind the project, hoping it could attract additional jobs and economic development.Environmental groups and others oppose the location because of concerns about the impacts to historic resources and protected species, proximity to some of the more popular locations at the refuge and potential impacts to fishing, boating and wildlife viewing. Shiloh is a former citrus community acquired by NASA through eminent domain when Kennedy Space Center was established in the 1950s. Local anthropologists and officials with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say the property also contains ruins of much earlier historic settlements, including the Eliot Plantation, one of the southernmost sugar plantations, which was used as a place of refuge for escaped slaves. The FAA’s notice, published Thursday in the Federal Register, explains that two vertical launch facilities are proposed on the property and two off-site support facilities are proposed. Each launch facility would accommodate up to 12 launches per year per facility, and 12 additional static fire engine tests, the notice states. Each would require about 30 acres of fenced land for a launch pad, propellant storage and handling areas, storage tanks, deluge water systems and other launch-related facilities, the federal notice states. The environmental review process also will include two planned off-site support areas, which would include processing facilities and a control center. The notice stated those two sites would be a 22-acre site in Oak Hill and a 51-acre site near Edgewater. While Denys is an ardent supporter of the vertical launch complex being built in Volusia, she said the review process is important to “protect the historical significance and environmentally sensitive areas.” The process will consider a wide spectrum of issues, including impacts to wetlands, groundwater and visual resources.“It’s a complete environmental analysis of all the activity that will be triggered if they grant the license,” Ketcham said.The Feb. 11 meeting will take place from 5-8 p.m. at the New Smyrna Beach High School Gymnasium, 1015 10th Street. All written comments must be submitted before Feb. 21. Comments are to be directed to Stacey Zee, environmental specialist, Shiloh EIS, but sent in care of the consulting firm overseeing the project, Cardno TEC Inc. 2496 Old Ivy Road, Suite 300, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Comments may also be emailed to faashiloheis@cardnotec.com.

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